Brian Fagioli

There are many manufacturers of solid state drives, but in my experience, Samsung's SSD offerings are amongst the best. They are reliable, affordable, and quite often, blazing fast too. If your data is important to you, a reputable brand is a must, and you can never go wrong with Samsung in this regard.

How does Samsung continually provide excellent solid state drives? The enormous company is constantly pushing boundaries, likely due to large R&D budgets that other SSD makers can't come anywhere near matching. Today, Samsung unveils its latest groundbreaking SSD. Called "PM1731a," the 2.5-inch drive is notable for utilizing Zoned Namespace (ZNS) technology and the company's sixth-gen V-NAND flash memory.

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Earlier in the year, we shared some huge news with you -- Kingston was selling HyperX to HP for nearly $500 million. Shockingly, HyperX memory was not included in the deal, meaning HP pretty much only bought the accessory business -- keyboards, mice, and headsets -- and not RAM. Today, that acquisition is officially complete.

At the time, I was unsure how the branding would work moving forward. Would Kingston continue to use the "HyperX" name for its gaming RAM? Today we learn that will absolutely not be the case. You see, it seems like the name "HyperX" entirely belongs to HP. Going forward, "Kingston FURY" will instead be the new name of the gaming RAM. Yes, FURY was previously a type of HyperX RAM, but Kingston is simply reusing that name. There are three types of FURY memory kits -- Renegade, Beast, and Impact.

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If you are a PC gamer, you have reason to be very excited today. You see, following many leaks and rumors, NVIDIA has finally officially unveiled the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti and 3080 Ti graphics cards. These GPUs will be both expensive and undoubtedly very difficult to get due to extreme demand.

Popular company PNY is launching new GeForce RTX 3070 Ti and 3080 Ti GPUs under its "XLR8 Gaming" branding. Both card types can be had in two body designs. Called "REVEL" and "UPRISING," each body style comes with three cooling fans for optimal cooling. The RTX 3070 Ti has 8GB of GDDR6X memory, while the 38080 has 12GB.

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There are so many great Linux-based desktop operating systems nowadays. Actually, there are arguably too many Linux distros, but I digress. For instance, if you are an experienced Linux user, you can opt for something like Debian or Fedora, while novices are probably better served by Ubuntu or Linux Lite.

One of the best operating systems for beginners and Windows-switchers, however, is Linux Mint. This is a no-nonsense Ubuntu-based Linux distro that looks good, is very stable, and ultimately "just works" for many users. All versions of the operating system are named after women, and today, we learn what the upcoming Linux Mint 20.2 will be called.

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Who knew that IRC (Internet Relay Chat) would be making big news in 2021? Look, I spent a good part of my childhood chatting on IRC, but I haven't seriously used it in well over a decade. Well, folks, people are talking about IRC again, but sadly, it is because of drama. You see, Freenode IRC was purchased recently, and the implications have the open source community in a tizzy.

What do people do when they are upset about a change? They wisely jump ship when possible. Yes, many people are running from Freenode as fast as they can. Two of the most popular Linux distributions, Ubuntu and Fedora, utilized Freenode for their IRC server needs, and now they have both switched to Libera Chat. Ubuntu made the switch first, with Fedora following shortly thereafter.

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Chromebooks have been taking the world by storm lately, and it isn't hard to see why. As more and more people do their computing almost exclusively on the web, it makes no sense to spend big money on a Windows 10 laptop you don't really need. Don't get me wrong, Windows definitely still has a place, and Microsoft's operating system is currently more useful than Chrome OS, but it is just overkill for many. Chromebooks are simple, safe, and getting better all the time. Google is giving the people what they want.

Acer has long been a Chromebook proponent, which makes total sense. Look, Acer is traditionally a value brand and Chromebooks have historically been affordably priced; it has been a marriage made in heaven. Today, Acer launches four new Chromebooks and three of them, which have 14-inch screens, are a bit ho-hum. None look bad... they are just more of the same. A fourth model, however, is quite special. You see, the Acer Chromebook 317 (CB317-1H), as it is called, has a 17-inch display! This is apparently the first Chrome OS laptop with such a screen size -- who knew!?

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The transition to PCIe 4.0 is in full effect, with more and more computers and motherboards having the new standard. Whether consumers truly need the benefits of PCIe 4.0 today is debatable, but it is still cool regardless. After all, it is important to continually push boundaries.

One of the best aspects of PCIe 4.0 is faster solid state drives, of course. For instance, today, Western Digital unveils its latest NVMe PCIe Gen4 SSD. Called "WD_BLACK SN750 SE," it is designed for both gamers and PC enthusiasts.

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The COVID-19 pandemic is slowly coming to an end in the USA. Thanks to Joe Biden's successful vaccination efforts, we can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. Even though businesses are starting to open back up, many workers are not planning to return to the office. In other words, working from home will remain popular even as the coronavirus fades away.

Working from home is quite feasible nowadays, but communicating over the internet is still far from perfect. To have a better communication experience, workers should invest in good hardware, such as PC webcams and microphones. Today, AVerMedia releases an intriguing USB conference speakerphone. Called "AS311," it utilizes artificial intelligence. Yeah, it is a speakerphone with AI -- how cool is that?

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Nowadays, many smartphones, tablets, and laptops don't have 3.5mm audio jacks anymore. For some consumers, this is not a huge deal as they prefer wireless Bluetooth headphones anyway. Other folks, however, would rather a wired solution. For them, they will opt for USB-C headphones or a USB-C to 3.5mm dongle. No big deal, right?

Well, it is a big deal, actually. How in the hell are you going to use the USB-C port on your device for audio if at the same time you need to use that port for charging? D'oh! Thankfully, StarTech.com has two new adapters that will solve this dilemma without breaking the bank. The CDP2CAPDM turns one USB-C port into two, while the CDP235APDM turns the USB-C port into a 3.5mm audio jack and a USB-C port.

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MINISFORUM is a computer manufacturer that has been gaining a lot of fans lately. Its PCs are looked upon favorably by many consumers that like the diminutive desktop form factor. Not only are its computers well-made and small, but often quite powerful too. These machines can be good servers, retro-gaming machines, office workstations, home theater PCs, and more.

Many MINISFORUM computers are powered by capable Intel processors, but understandably, AMD fans want to get in on the small desktop action too. I am happy to say MINISFORUM does cater to those that prefer AMD. In fact, the company does have several AMD-powered options. Today, MINISFORUM launches its latest desktop, and it is powered by the Ryzen 7 4800U processor.

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Here's the deal, folks; Bluetooth speakers are very convenient, but for the most part, they don't sound very good. Don't get me wrong, some Bluetooth speakers will impress in the sound quality department, but those models are few and far between. Audiophiles and other lovers of music will often instead opt for wired speakers and stereo receivers -- convenience be damned.

Apple's AirPlay 2 is far superior to Bluetooth, as it often provides better sound quality while operating over Wi-Fi. Yes, you can easily transmit to an AirPlay speaker as long as it is connected to the same network. The problem? AirPlay 2 speakers are rather rare. Thankfully, a new product from Belkin will transform your existing stereo receiver or speaker system into a makeshift AirPlay 2 device.

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For those of you that build your own desktop computers, you know that choosing the right brand really matters. For instance, if you opt for an unknown company for your RAM, power supply, or storage, there is a very good chance you will run into problems. This is why I always recommend sticking with reputable brands -- saving a few bucks is never worth it if you end up troubleshooting crashes.

BIOSTAR is a trustworthy company that has been around for a long time, and its motherboards, in particular, are very popular with system builders. Today, it launches beautiful new DDR4 memory that enthusiasts and gamers should both absolutely love. Called "Gaming X," the RAM comes equipped with beautiful RGB heat spreaders.

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Google is opening a retail store in New York City, and I couldn't be more excited. No, I don't plan on shopping there, but instead, I'll use it for a place to sit down and cool off in the summertime. You see, that is what many New Yorkers use the Apple Store for -- a place to hang out and charge their phone while enjoying the free air conditioning. I expect the Google Store to become a similar destination.

Some people will go to this new Chelsea Google Store to actually shop too, I suppose. Customers can expect to see many Google products like Chromebooks, Pixel phones, Nest smart home devices, and more. By visiting a physical store, consumers can be assisted by actual people -- a nice change to the coldness of online shopping. The search giant will even offer workshops to teach customers more about the Google products they already own.

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When you are a PC builder, there are peaks and valleys when it comes to excitement about components. What I mean by this is, sometimes you are building machines with cutting edge parts as an early adopter, while other times you are using ho-hum components that have been around a while. For instance, we have been using DDR4 memory for about seven years now... boring!

On the horizon, thankfully, is the DDR5 revolution. After dealing with DDR4 for so many years now, we will soon see PCs with DDR5 memory inside. One of the companies leading this industry shift is GeIL. Today, that manufacturer announces its upcoming Polaris RGB DDR5 RAM with speeds up to 7200MHz!

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When I first encountered computers in the 1990s, they were all large grey boxes that took up enormous amounts of space. In fact, when you added in a large CRT monitor and printer, many families had to dedicate an entire room in their home to the PC. Seriously, folks, a "computer room" was actually a thing.

Nowadays, thanks to inexpensive laptops and tablets, many families no longer need dedicated rooms for a PC -- a kitchen table can be sufficient. Even if you prefer a desktop, they no longer have to be monstrous either. There are many small desktops on the market these days, including the excellent Apple Mac mini.

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